Went to Casa Viena and caught a minibus for Taganga, a white sand beach about 3 km past Santa Marta, with Dennis. About a four and a half hour drive through some dry, scrubby coastline, dotted with beaches and hotels here and there along the way. Arrived in Taganga about twelve thirty and went to our hotel on the hill above called Casa Technos Azules (blue roofs). Very nice place, blue and white with lots of plants, hammocks, kitchen and sitting areas. Our room is on the end of the complex so lots of good breezes and privacy, 50,000 cop ($25). It is located on top of a hill with amazing views. The only other buildings on this hill are two gated mansions so it´s very quiet and private. We have to walk down a steep ... read more

Nice weather here. A bit warm if there is no breeze or you are exerting yourself. We had breakfast at an old convent named Convent of the Nuns of the Order of Saint Claire, now a beautiful Hotel named Santa Clara. Had a great breakfast in the midst of a jungle setting with waterfalls and toucans. Walked all over the city and checked out the beaches (Bocagrande,etc.) and then came back to wait for it to cool off a little. Met a 38 year old woman from Finland named Hannah staying in our hotel who has been travelling around South America by herself for over two years. She will be going back to her job in Finland in the next few weeks via Panama. We don´t meet a lot of people from Finland travelling and it ... read more

Another beautiful day. Sundays the main streets in Bogota are closed to car traffic and bicycles are everywhere. Talked to a Swedish girl at our hotel for about an hour about politics and the environment in Colombia. She majored in sustainable agriculture and will be volunteering at a sustainable farm in Colombia when she is done taking courses at a nearby university. The streets are full of activities and street fairs, swap markets, and street entertainment. People are walking or riding their bikes everywhere. Given the number of walkers, bicycles, skateboarders, etc. it's amazing that there are never any collisions. No evidence of Valentine's Day here, unlike Peru where everything comes to a stop for it. Got our picture taken by a man with a turn of the century box camera. Walked around the fairs and ... read more

Another beautiful sunny day in the 70's. Got some money from a nearby ATM and had breakfast in town. We are expecting to spend about $75 a day here on the average, including transport, lodging, etc. Went back to the lodging to pick up Bahman and go up a cable car to the top of a nearby mountain, Monserrate. We took the train up through some tunnels and great views along the way. Amazing views of Bogota and adjacent mountains with huge statues of Jesus and monasteries on top. The complex on top includes two upscale restaurants, cafeterias, a large church and a cobbled walkway with statues depicting the 14(?) stations of Christ. I'll attempt to post some photos soon. Had lunch in a beautiful restaurant built into the edge of a cliff. The views were ... read more

Up early to a beautiful, sunny day. Bogota is at 8,600 feet and the temperature is perfect, in the 70´s, although the nights require a light jacket. It always takes a little while to get used to a second or third world country. Everything seems a bit dirty and run down at first. We are in the old section of Bogota and it does give the appearance of being a bit run down. On further inspection you can see it´s actually clean, the buildings just need paint or a face lift. People do throw trash on the ground here, basically plastic. I have heard there is a movement afoot to try to change this, more street cleaners on the street, trash bins and education. Doesn´t seem to be working that well yet. Bogota is a huge, ... read more